Remember to always wear your life jacket and designate a sober skipper!

Thanks to grant funding from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Sea Tow Foundation has distributed close to 15,000 life jackets nationwide to help make recreational boaters safer on the water. To find a Sea Tow Foundation life jacket loaner stand near you, click here.

DONATE TO THE SEA TOW FOUNDATION We need your support to help make recreational boaters safer on the water. Your tax deductible donation will be used to:

purchase safety equipment such as life jackets and whistles;

run boating safety programs, including the Boating Safety Challenge at Boat Shows;

develop a boating and alcohol awareness campaign;

and support other initiatives to keep boaters safe on the water.

Marine Technician Training

At UTI, they've specialized marine repair technician training to a new level–the Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI). If open waters are calling, the answer of exciting career options start here.

It’s being factory-trained on Mercury®, Suzuki®, Yamaha®, Honda and Volvo-Penta®…and it’s included in the MMI Core program!

durationThe Marine Technician Specialist Core Program starts every 3 weeks and runs 51 weeks. Flexible class schedule. Work while in school—tap into our career assistance early!

In the free press I found an interesting article that might also intrigue a few fisherman.

Her name is Dr. Jennifer Rehage, and she will discuss how seasonal fluxuations in freshwater flow and salinity affect the balance of fishing communities and benefit key recreational fisheries. The event is free and open to the public.

For information, contact Linda Kapalan at
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or 305-396-7000

An annual tradition for 44 years: a series of world-class concerts January - March.

Begun in Marathon: the exact midpoint of the archipelago, and now producing seasonal concerts in Islamorada as well!

The History of Diving Museum, in Islamorada, Florida Keys, tells the international story of mankindâ€™s attempts to explore, understand and venture under the sea. Come visit us and marvel at the ingenuity and bravery of inventors over the ages and be thankful for advancements in technology that have lead to modern day SCUBA. Discover the history behind military, commercial and recreational diving. Learn how diving has contributed to marine science, underwater photography and treasure hunting. The Museum features the worldâ€™s largest international collection of diving helmets and artifacts and an incomparable Museum Store featuring distinctive diving related gifts. Plan your Florida Keys dive profile to include an immersion into the culture and heritage of diving.Â http://www.divingmuseum.org/wp/eventsandeducation/our-mural/

Scientists dragged a camera behind a boat while taking six shots per second of the ocean floor. Now anyone can sort through the millions of photos, labeling sea scallops, sea stars, fish and MORE.Â http://www.seafloorexplorer.org/

Weather Satellites have been taking pictures of tropical storms for more than 40 years, but even experts sometimes disagree on how to classify cyclones. Training many eyes on each image helps to build a consensus on cyclone type and strength-and builds toward a better understanding of how storms have changed over time. http://www.cyclonecenter.org/

Vintage ship logbooks have valuable information about historical weather conditions-ideal for scientists developing climate models. Volunteers have already transcribed logbooks for more that 300 world war I-era Royal Navy warships. Now they're delving into Arctic Ship Logs. http://www.oldweather.org/

Attention Mates looking to continue their expertise in the dive industry. You can check out http://www.rainbowreef.us. This dive company offers many opportunities for anyone trying to relocate, work, and take dive classes in the Florida Keys.

Florida Keys Boating Course: Boat Smart & Eco-Mariner. Learn the basics of safe boating and how not to damage your boat or the environment. Hosted by Captain Bruce Chambers & Rob Cliff. Class is held at the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. For more information please call 305-664-9737 or email
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with any questions.Â Elsewise, visit http://www.ecomariner.orgÂ or http://www.myfwc.com.

Want to become a charter boat captain? Florida Keys Community College is now offering a course to license captains at the Coral Shores campus! Contact Capt. Tracy Brenner at 305-923-3111 for more information.

Captain Jennifer McLean was named the 2009 Outstanding Instructor by the American Sailing Assosiation. For more information on the American Sailing Association visit www.asa.com . To learn more about the Sun Sailing School visit www.sun-shinesailing.com

To learn about more education opportunities, please check out the education section of our business directory. We have several sea schools listed there.

Also, this goes without saying, a lot of questions can be answered on the USCG site.Â We have a link to their website on our homepage.Â

I'm sure there will be many questions concerning the Transportation Workers I.D. card.Â You can find the most reliable source for answers on the USCG webpage.Â Go to the Merchant Mariner Documentation section all the way to the right hand side.Â